


So, It Wasn't That Bad

by SonnyD



Series: Hospital AU [3]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Alternate Universe - Medical, First Dates, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 22:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13690998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonnyD/pseuds/SonnyD
Summary: Steve and Danny go on their first date where Danny has a startling (or maybe not) realisation.





	So, It Wasn't That Bad

**Author's Note:**

> Hello people! This is the third installment of Hospital AU. I tried to make it by Valentine's Day but it, unfortunately, didn't work out. I hope you'll enjoy this.

Danny stared at his closet with contempt, wondering how it had become so hard for him to pick out an outfit. He was just going on a simple date and here he was acting like a twelve year old girl. He couldn’t remember being this stressed out over someone before. The nurse sighed and once again started his routine which consisted of taking out something he thought looked good, holding it up before a mirror then thinking it looked terrible and finally, putting it back. At the rate he was going he’d never leave his apartment. Maybe it was for the best if he didn’t go…

The sound of his apartment door opening brought him out of his thoughts. He left his bedroom and entered the living area to see Kono closing the door behind her. She turned around and gave the blond a bright smile when she saw him watching her.

“Hey, Danny,” she greeted him cheerily.

“Remind me why I gave you keys to my apartment again.”

“Because we’re friends and you love me.”

“More like because we’re friends and you’re terrifying.”

Kono didn’t try to deny it.

“Anyway, why are you here? Shouldn’t you be surfing or something? I mean, it’s Saturday.”

“The North Shore can wait. I came to help you get ready,” she replied, striding past him as though she owned the place. Danny followed her into his bedroom and watched as she began to dig through his closet.

“I already tried. It’s useless,” he paused, “And who told you I needed help?”

“I figured you wouldn’t know what to wear so here I am,” she said, ignoring his first comment. She picked up a yellow shirt, grimaced and put it back.

“I told you so. I should just tell Steve I can’t go-”

Danny had never seen Kono turn around so quickly. He worried she might have gotten whiplash but she seemed fine as she gave him an incredulous look.

“You can’t be serious. I’ve be – Steve’s been waiting for this for a long time. You can’t cancel now.”

“Were you just about to say that you’ve been waiting for this?”

Kono shrugged and turned back to his closet. After a few seconds, she seemed to have struck gold and rushed over to Danny before she shoved a pile of clothes into his hands.

“Here. Put these on. You’ve showered already, right?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Good.”

With that, she turned him around and pushed him towards the bathroom. Danny took his time undressing before he put on the outfit that Kono had given him. He came out of the bathroom and planted himself in front of the mirror. A grey t-shirt and a pair of light washed jeans. He didn’t even remember buying these.

“I think you look great,” Kono said from where she had sat down on his bed.

“Of course you do. You chose it yourself.”

Kono smiled, “What time is Steve coming?”

“Uh,” Danny glanced at his alarm clock, “In fifteen minutes.”

“Good thing you already did your hair.”

Danny sent her a dry look before he finished getting ready. Just as he was unplugging his phone, he heard a knock on the door. He rushed into the living area before Kono could get up, not wanting her to answer the door. He took a deep breath and opened it to find Steve waiting on the other side. The nurse had to admit it, the other man looked gorgeous.

“Hey. You ready to go?” Steve asked, a charming smile on his face.

Danny nodded, “Yeah, just give me a minute.”

He turned back into his apartment where Kono had just sat down at his breakfast counter. She waved at Steve who returned the gesture, albeit slightly confused.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” the blond warned, “And remember to lock the door if you leave.”

Kono waved her hand in a shooing motion, “Yeah, I know. Have fun.”

Danny closed the door and turned around to face his date who was already staring at him.

“Why was Kono there?” Steve asked curiously.

“She seemed to think I needed her help to get ready.”

“Well, I think she did a great job. You look good.”

The surgeon’s eyes roamed over him unashamedly and he felt his cheeks getting warm.

“Uh, can we leave, please?”

Steve chuckled but obliged, guiding the other man down the hallway towards the elevator bank with a hand on his back. Danny opened his mouth to say something about the contact but thought better of it as they entered the elevator. He let Steve lead him to the guest parking lot where a blue Silverado sat waiting amongst other vehicles. He got into the passenger seat as the surgeon climbed into driver’s side and started the car.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“Hiking.”

“Hiking? You’re joking, right?”

“No. It’ll be fun. I promise.”

“It’ll be fun he says. Why do I doubt that?”

Steve only smiled in response as he continued to drive.

+++++

“You want to kill me. That has to be the only explanation,” Danny said as he stared up at the trail in front of them. They were at the Koko Crater Railway Trail, a steep landmark in Oahu which was already occupied by a decent amount of locals and tourists alike. Danny wondered if he could leave now while he was ahead. It didn’t help when Steve only laughed at his distress.

“Come on, Danno,” the surgeon said, walking ahead of him.

Danny frowned as he followed, “Where did you hear that?”

“I was standing outside when I heard one of the patients calling you that. It’s cute.”

“Because it came from a six year old girl. You don’t get to call me that.”

“Whatever you say, Danno.”

Danny threw the other man an annoyed glance. How could someone be so infuriating? He sighed, putting on his sunglasses to ward off the mid-afternoon glare. They began to climb the trail in silence, stepping around the occasional passer-by. Danny had to admit it. It was nice. Hot but nice. They reached about midway when Steve stopped walking.

“Look.”

He lifted a hand to point and Danny turned to look. He raised his eyebrows in appreciation. The view was amazing. Green rolling hills set against a background of a vast, azure sky and a glistening, turquoise ocean. Buildings dotted the landscape, ranging from high rise hotels and apartments to low houses and restaurants. It was a captivating sight and the blond liked it.

“It’s nice,” he commented.

Steve grinned, his eyes sparkling in the sunlight, “Yeah, I remember coming up here by myself to think and just enjoy the view.”

“Really? I would have thought that you’d be the kind of teenager to spend his spare time surfing instead of sitting back and smelling the roses.”

“Well, there’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Danno.”

“Don’t call me that. Besides, I guess I’ll just have to find out.”

“Does that mean you’ll go out with me again?”

Danny froze for a second. He hadn’t meant it in that way. Had he?

“Okay, ignoring the fact that you just said that, it’s a pretty good view. I like it.”

Steve spared one last look at the landscape before he continued to climb.

“Did you just admit to liking Hawaii?” he asked teasingly.

“No I did not. I never said that. I just said I liked the view.”

“Same thing.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Alright. What do you like most about living here?”

“Uh, my friends. They’re the only people on this island who I can actually stand to be around for longer than five minutes.”

“Does that include me, Danno?” Steve turned his head to glance at the nurse.

“Just keep walking, will you?”

“Race you to the top.”

Before Danny could say anything, Steve started jogging up the steps, giving the blond a full view of the surgeon’s behind.

 _‘Dammit. Even his ass looks good,’_ Danny thought before shaking his head. He started after Steve, keeping his pace steady to prevent himself from tripping.

+++++

When they made it back to the truck, Danny was feeling tired. He was glad that his t-shirt was cotton or else he would have been sticky from sweating.

“Remind me to never go hiking with you ever again,” he said, buckling his seatbelt.

“Whatever you say, Danno.”

“So, I remember you saying something about pizza?”

Steve smiled, pulling out of the lot, “Yeah. I was thinking Antonio’s.”

“Good. As long as it’s none of that crap you call food.”

“You mean Hawaiian pizza?” Steve asked with a chuckle.

“Yes, that! I mean, who even puts pineapple on pizza? It’s an abomination! Pizza should be dough, sauce and mozz. That’s it! Maybe pepperoni sometimes but no ham and definitely no pineapple.”

“I guess you feel strongly about this.”

“Of course I do.”

Steve couldn’t help the amused smile that stretched across his face. He knew how Danny felt about pineapple from overhearing one too many rants on the subject. He found it endearing which was the main reason why he liked to rile the blond up. It wasn’t long before they arrived at Antonio’s. There was only a handful of people inside and they were able to sit at a table by the window after ordering.

When Danny had gotten tired of people watching, he looked at Steve who had already been staring at him. There was a strange expression on his face and Danny found himself getting nervous for some reason. He shifted in his seat, raising an eyebrow at the other man.

“Yes, Steven?”

“Nothing. I’m just admiring the view,” Steve replied with a smile. Danny crossed his arms, blinking at the blatant flirting which was taking place.

“Right, uh, it does look good outside, I guess,” he fumbled.

Steve lips tilted into a slight smirk, “I wasn’t talking about the scenery, Danny. I meant you. You’re gorgeous.”

Dann took a deep breath, feeling confused. What was wrong with him? If it had been any other person who had said something like that to him, he would have immediately disregarded the advances. Now, he was floundering like a fish out of water from a simple compliment. He had to pull himself together.

“Alright, Casanova. I think you’re getting ahead of yourself.”

“I’m only speaking the truth.”

“Right, I bet you say that to every person you go out with.”

“Nah, just you.”

Danny rolled his eyes but Steve got up to collect their pizza before he could respond. He nurse had never been happier to take a bite of mouth-watering, artery clogging, cheesy goodness. He moaned at the taste, unaware of the way his date was looking at him.

“See? _This_ is real pizza. I don’t know why you people like putting pineapple on everything. It ruins the aesthetic.”

Steve shook his head, “There’s nothing wrong with pineapple, Danny.”

“I never said there was anything wrong with it. I’m fine with pineapple by itself or even in a drink. Just don’t put it on savoury food and expect me to like it.”

“Okay. Any other fruit you hate that I should know about?”

“You’re so funny. And no, there’s none.”

It was silent for a moment between them. Just eating.

“So, do you like working at Queen’s?” Danny asked.

Steve shrugged a shoulder, “It’s been okay so far but I’ve only been there for two months. I’m glad I got to come back to Oahu.”

“Come back? You’ve been here before?”

“Yeah, I grew up here. My parents got separated when I was fifteen and my mom took me with her to live in Florida. They got back together after a few years but I already got a scholarship to the College of Medicine. My mom went back to Hawaii and I stayed in Florida.”

“So, what made you come back?”

“My dad had been working too hard, like he usually does, and his health was declining. I came back home to take care of him,” Steve paused, “What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I mean, you don’t seem like the kind of person who would come to Hawaii willingly.”

Danny rolled his eyes, “Yeah, well, you’re right. I got a scholarship to Hawaii Pacific University.”

Steve’s eyebrows raised at this and Danny shrugged at the silent question.

“Isn’t that a private university?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow, Danny. That’s cool.”

“It’s not something I like to brag about. Anyway, my family pestered me until I agreed to go. So, here I am.”

“Here you are.” Steve smiled and Danny felt his heart stutter in his chest. Oh. _Oh_. He quickly turned back to his pizza and was glad when they finished their meal in silence.

+++++

Steve was a gentleman at the end of their date. He walked Danny to his apartment door, watching as the blond crossed his arms.

“Okay, it wasn’t…bad,” the nurse revealed.

“That’s all I get?”

Danny sighed, “It was fun, alright. Better than a lot of other dates I’ve been on.”

“Good to know. So, I’ll see you on Monday?”

“Yeah. I’ll see you.”

They stood in silence for only a few seconds before Steve suddenly leaned forward. Danny tensed when he felt the press of lips against his cheek. The surgeon was watching him carefully as he leaned back. He relaxed when he didn’t see any negative emotions in the other man’s expression.

“Wow. You, uh, you move fast, don’t you?”

“Only as fast as you want me to, Danny. Bye.”

“Yeah, bye.”

Danny watched as Steve sauntered down the hallway, waiting until the other man turned the corner before he entered his apartment. He would forever deny slumping against the door with a love-struck expression on his face as soon as he closed the door.

+++++

Monday morning couldn’t have come fast enough. Danny went to his first patient of the day, feeling happier than he how usually felt on the first business day of the week. He didn’t even flinch as Kono fell into step beside him.

“Well?”

“Well what?”

“How was your date?” Kono asked excitedly, “I would have come back on Saturday but one of my cousins needed a last minute babysitter. Then I decided to give you a break on Sunday, just in case you needed your rest.”

She winked at the blond who shook his head.

“Nothing like that happened.”

“So?”

Just then, they turned a corner where Steve stood at the end of the corridor talking to another surgeon. He lifted his head, smiling when he saw the two nurses standing there. Danny bit his lip and looked back at Kono.

“Come on. I’ll tell you all about it.”


End file.
